Fate or Destiny
by The Sky Beyond
Summary: When Katherine learned she was reborn in the PJO universe, she wanted nothing to do with the Greek gods or Percy Jackson. However, the life of a demigod is never that simple, and she is drawn into the coming conflicts. With no way out, she decides to manipulate events for her own goals. After all, who would suspect the weak daughter of Aphrodite? SI-OC
1. Prologue

**AN: I do not own PJO.**

 **This is an SI-OC story, so don't like, don't read. There won't be many changes to the plot early on, but small changes here and there will affect the plot later. Things might seem a bit confusing at first, but hopefully things will come together as I slowly reveal Kat's plans.**

 **Please read and review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

* * *

New Diary Entry 1:

I knew that today would be the day that everything started in earnest. Everything I had done for the past three years was in preparation for these next few days that would set events into motion for the following years.

Everything had been set into motion decades ago when the Oracle of Delphi gave the Great Prophecy. There was, is, and will be nothing that will stop the prophecy from being fulfilled. That much is the truth.

However, changing certain events unmentioned in the prophecy is theoretically possible, and to tell the truth, that's all that I care about.

Even if it means cheating the Fates themselves, I will lie and manipulate anyone to protect my loved ones. Some will prosper from these changes while others will suffer, but no one will be untouched by the far reaches of the Butterfly Effect. However, none of this concerns me.

Fundamentally, I am a selfish person. The world could burn for all that I care. Just as long as I get what I want.

With everything that will happen should I succeed, I can't help but think I might end up in the Fields of Punishment. After all, I'm no hero.

* * *

Staring out the window at the idyllic Long Island countryside, I couldn't help but smile in anticipation of seeing my two best friends in the entire world. The trees and green pastures sped by in a blur of green and the blue sky was brightly illuminated by the summer sun. Not a single cloud could be seen in the sky; it seemed as if Zeus was feeling a bit merciful today.

As I neared Camp Half-Blood, the taxi driver looked at the rear-view mirror with a smile and asked, "Ms. Davis, are you sure you want me to drop you off here?"

I politely smiled back, "Yeah, right here is fine. Thank you."

"Oh, it was my pleasure. I have to thank you again for everything you've done for me."

I waved off his thanks as I climbed out the car, "It's just some paper and some ink, no biggie. Rather, I feel honored that you and your family even know about me. I hope your daughter enjoys that little drawing and scribble as much as you say she will."

"I'm sure she will," I interrupted him by handing over a fifty-dollar bill, and he immediately shook his head, "There's no way I could accept your money Ms. Davis. You've already given me something of greater value than a silly cab ride."

Although I protested, he rolled up the windows and made a U-turn to drive off. Seeing no other alternative, I smiled and waved a small goodbye as he drove off.

As his yellow car grew smaller in the distance, I turned around and started to head up the hill towards a pine tree, Thalia Grace. As I reached the crest of the hill, I lay a hand on the pine tree and tried to transmit feelings of hope to Thalia. Though nothing may actually happen, I felt the urge to converse with the daughter of Zeus. Ever since hearing stories from Luke and Annabeth, I couldn't help but admire the daughter of one of the Big Three. Fortunately, the Golden Fleece would bring her back to life the next year.

I patted the pine tree again before I strolled past the Camp's Boundary. Heading deeper into Camp Half-Blood, I immediately noticed the scent of strawberries drifting through the air from the distant fields. Spotting the Big House, I decided to drop by to let Chiron and Mr. D (well, mainly Chiron) know that I got back to Camp late due to my work.

Passing by the Volleyball Courts on my way, I received greetings from some campers and satyrs which I responded in kind with a bright smile and cheerful wave. I promised them all I would chat with them later in the day after I met with Chiron, and they nodded and returned to playing volleyball.

Reaching the front porch of the Big House, I didn't even need to look to know that Mr. D and Chiron were playing Pinochle. I heard Mr. D cackle a "Ha, another royal marriage! It seems I win."

"Not quite so, I win this game Mr. D. Perhaps you'd like another try?"

"Yes, yes. Get to it."

Before the two could start another game, I quickly introduced my presence, "Mr. D, Chiron, I just got back to camp."

Chiron was in his wheelchair, surprising considering the fact that this form had to be rather constricting, and his hands were preoccupied with shuffling the deck of cards when he stopped momentarily to look up and smile at me, "Welcome back Kat. I understand you were busy with work, but perhaps you'd like to give us a heads up so we don't worry next time?"

"I should just turn her into a dolphin. Save us all the trouble." Seeing the look Chiron shot at him, Mr. D shrugged and unapologetically said, "Just a suggestion."

Ignoring Mr. D's little comment, I grinned at Chiron, "I should get going. I wouldn't want to interrupt the two of you. Just wanted to drop by and let you know I was back."

"Of course. Please go and see your friends." As if he just remembered something, Chiron quickly added on, "I almost forgot to tell you, but there is a new camper. I hope you can help him adjust to the camp. He's been having some difficulties recently after being claimed."

I was guessing that the new camper was Percy Jackson, the one who would fulfill the Great Prophecy, defeat Kronos and Gaea, and become the boyfriend of Annabeth Chase. As one of the key players in the upcoming conflicts, it was imperative that I get close to him. Thankfully, Chiron gave me the perfect excuse, not that I didn't have a plan for that had this conversation never happened.

"No problem Chiron. I'll see you around! Thanks for not turning me into a dolphin Mr. D!"

Chiron smiled and waved a little before returning to his game while Mr. D waved me off as if I were a pest. I didn't really care either way and bounded off to the cabins where I could place down my belongings and most likely find the two I was looking for.

Giving a few greetings to fellow campers as I passed by, I smiled and bowed to the young girl by the hearth that I knew to be the goddess Hestia. She gave the most heart-warming smile in return. Having the blessing of any god or goddess (and especially one that everyone loved) would be a wonderful boon in case of an emergency, and if it meant greeting the kindest goddess and occasionally stopping by to chat whenever I had free time, well, I wasn't complaining.

Before I could get distracted any further, I walked straight into Cabin 10 where fellow children of Aphrodite resided. A multitude of perfumes and colognes hit my nose, which would be revolting in any other circumstance, but strangely worked here and reminded me that I was back home.

Some in the cabin were engaged in idle gossip about some love affairs in the mortal world while others were messing around with their designer clothes to see which outfits would look the best in different situations, but they all looked up when I entered.

Most of the girls, nearly all of them younger than me, crowded around me to ask about how my life had gone and whether or not I could offer any information or insight on some actor's recent love life. The guys quickly checked their reflections on one of the many mirrors strewn across the hot pink cabin and gave me suave smiles when they were satisfied with their appearance.

It had been almost a year since the last time I had come back to camp, and it seemed as if nothing had changed so far.

I gave the sons of Aphrodite my own sweet smile and turned to tell the girls that "No, Tristan McLean was still single and was not in an affair", which seemed to pacify some while disappointing others, and that my year had been getting busier as I had finally gotten what seemed to be a long-term role for work. My last announcement was met by everyone congratulating me; they all knew how big this was for me and how this could change my future.

Although everyone was curious, only a few were close enough to be comfortable asking me, "So what will you be doing?"

I opened my mouth and let it hang there for a little moment to add to the suspense before giving a sly smile and sing-songing, "That's, a, se-cr-et!"

They all groaned in unison, and several decided that they weren't getting anything else interesting from me for now and went back to whatever they were doing before I came inside. I continued making small talk with some of the girls before asking the question that had been bothering me since I entered the cabin, "Hey, where's Silena? She should be here."

Drew was the one who answered, "Silena? She has a lesson at the stables."

That had me confused. As far as I was concerned, no cabin had Pegasus riding at this time of the day.

"Which cabin moved their timeslot?"

"It's the just new kid."

The casual mention of Percy drew some attention from the others. Even if he weren't considered good-looking (which was all that the daughters of Aphrodite cared about), he was still the son of Poseidon, and that title held power. Despite the fact that no one dared to interact with him, he was not ridiculed, except by the Ares cabin of course, and was treated respectfully at the very least. Therefore, it should come to no surprise that the children of Aphrodite would be hungry for any information about the elusive Percy Jackson.

I mentally scoffed, no one would be getting anything from me. I was supposed to be even more clueless than everyone else seeing as how I'd just gotten back to camp.

"Well, I'd better say hi then. I'll see you all later then," and with those parting words, I sauntered out the cabin and strode over to the stables. Most cabins were busy with activities at this time of the day, so no one stopped by to talk, a blessing I was most grateful for.

It had taken me about ten minutes, but I finally arrived at my destination and heard the neighing of horses and pegasi. The noon sun was directly overhead by now, meaning the pegasus riding lessons should be over soon for campers to have lunch.

I surreptitiously creaked open the doors, letting a cool breeze come out from the stables. Without any preamble, I jumped and wrapped my arms around the waist of the black-haired girl who had been busy brushing the hair of a horse. The momentum from the jump brought both of us to the floor and elicited an "Oof" from Silena while the horse she was pampering earlier let out a neighbor of disapproval for losing its caretaker.

Silena let out a laugh as she immediately recognized me. After all, I was the only one who was close enough (or stupid enough if you look at it from a different perspective- we were near horses that could trample us) to jump tackle her.

"Welcome back Katie. It's nice to see you again. Honestly though, you should've Iris messaged us earlier. I know you can take care of yourself, but I still worry."

Chiron was one matter, but seeing Silena's disappointed mien was not something I could handle, causing me to blush and duck my head in embarrassment. I mumbled a, "I'm sorry," and lay there next to Silena who gently stroked my hair.

"Your hair is so silky and soft. Makes me a bit jealous."

I looked to Silena's lustrous black hair that was pooled around her slim figure and hummed, "It's part of the job. Anyways, you have great hair too."

I closed my eyes, enjoying the gentle ministrations of Silena's hands, and was just starting to relax on the straw covered ground when I started to hear the unmistakable sounds of wings flapping through the air.

I got up, pulling Silena up from the ground as well. We both brushed the dirt and straw off our clothes just as someone walked into the stables with a pegasus.

I moved my eyes up from where I was checking for any wrinkles on my shirt to spot a boy looking a bit surprised to seeing me.

Without any hesitation, I scrutinized his frame. Black hair. Green eyes. Young, but potentially handsome Mediterranean appearance. So, he was Percy Jackson.

* * *

When Percy walked into the stables, he was unexpectedly met by two girls. The one on his right had bright blue eyes, beautiful brown hair, and a body that would put some models to shame. As with the other daughters of Aphrodite, she was decked out in full designer clothes and had perfect makeup on. She was the Aphrodite cabin's counselor, Silena Beauregard.

The other looked like she could be the older sister of Annabeth if Annabeth had gleaming blue eyes and smiled more often. She had the typical sun-kissed skin and wavy blonde hair like the stereotypical Californian girl and wore a pair of form-fitting jeans and a sleeve-less white shirt. Her pearl earrings glinted as much as the most luxurious diamonds, and her smile made her seem like the one kid anyone could get along with.

For a strange reason, even if he was sure this was the first time they were meeting, Percy could have sworn he had seen the unknown teen before.

Percy arched an eye and asked, "Who are you?" while pointing at her.

Silena immediately perked up, "Percy, meet Katie, daughter of Aphrodite. Katie, this is Percy, new camper and son of Poseidon."

Somehow she managed to smile even brighter and grabbed his hand to shake, "Nice to meet you Percy. Please call me Kat. I hope we can be friends."

Something about her voice was familiar, and Percy suddenly remembered where he had seen her before, "You're the one in the Orientation Film."

Kat seemed briefly surprised before grinning, which flashed her perfect pearly whites, "Yup, narrator and tour guide. I'm surprised you remember me from that video."

Percy didn't want to admit it, but the main reason he didn't forget was because he had watched the film earlier that day when he was bored and had nothing else to do, so he replied with a, "You are memorable."

"Thank you. I would hope I am. Definitely helps when getting a job."

That threw Percy for a loop. Kat couldn't have looked older than sixteen and she had a job? Maybe slow-aging was something Aphrodite kids inherited.

"You work? What do you do?"

A mischievous smile grew on Kat's face as she answered, "Nothing much. Just some acting on some shows in Hollywood."

Percy's eyes were like saucers when he realized who he was talking to, "You're Kat as in Katherine Davis?"

As if she didn't understand why Percy looked so gobsmacked, Kat tilted her head to the side and innocently batted her eyelashes, "Yeah. Why do you know my full name? Are you a stalker?"

Seeing how red Percy had gotten, Kat laughed a bit, "Aw, look at you. You know, you'd be perfect for Annabeth."

He didn't think it was possible, but Percy's face colored even further when he thought about himself and Annabeth like that. There was no way that the two of them would be like that, especially after she found out that he was the son of Poseidon. The way she glared at him at times could have scared the Minotaur back to his mommy.

Before she could embarrass Percy any further, Silena put a hand on Kat's shoulder and looked disapprovingly at the younger girl, "Come on Katie, stop it."

The blonde grumbled but obediently obeyed, "Alright, alright. Sorry about that Percy, but you just looked so grumpy." He couldn't help it. Every time his mind wandered, he couldn't help but remember how his mother had disappeared in front of his eyes. Feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy would soon follow, and the recent abandonment by most of the other half-bloods had only worsened things, so Percy was constantly plagued by dark thoughts. As if she could read his mind, Kat placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "There's probably a lot going through your mind right now, but Silena and I will gladly help you out with anything. Right Silena?"

"Katie's right. If you have any problems, come by the Aphrodite cabin or find either one of us." Silena slyly smiled and said, "And if you want any love advice, we'll all be willing to chip in to help."

Kat slowly turned to Silena with a predatory smile, "Oh? You sure you should be handing out love advice? After all don't you-"

Faster than even Luke could swing his sword, Silena's hand clasped over Kat's mouth with a loud smack. Silena started to drag Kat out the stables with a hot blush on her face, "Percy, our cabin has sword practice right now. Sorry, but we're in a rush. Do you mind cleaning up for us?"

That was strange. Aphrodite kids never really cared about cared about the camp activities, and it was about time to lunch too. There wouldn't be enough time for sword lessons at this point of time. Also, for the short amount of time Percy knew her, Silena was a clean-freak. She wouldn't pass off cleaning to someone else like that.

Looking to the two for answers, all Percy saw was Kat trying to stubbornly dig her posh chucks into the wooden floorboards with limited success.

Before she could disappear outside the door, Kat removed Silena's hand and waved with her other hand, "I'll see you around Percy. Don't hesitate to say hi. Oh, and have a great day!"

Percy suddenly felt a weight lift from his chest after Kat's words. It might have been some sort of Aphrodite magic or appeal, but Percy found himself in a better mood already.

Those two seemed to be the nicer Aphrodite girls. As Kat's and Silena's forms were obscured in the blinding sunlight, Percy thought he might take them up on their deal and come by to chat with them.

* * *

I inwardly sighed a breath of relief. I didn't want to be another nameless half-blood to Percy, one of the main characters, so I had to play my cards correctly. Perhaps I had been a bit too forceful at certain parts, but I seemed to at least catch his attention. Worst case scenario, I would have to use my other connections to get close to the son of Poseidon.

But enough of that. I had a far more important target at the moment.

Quickly jogging to catch up to Silena, I pouted at her, "Come on Silena. Talk to me. How are you and Beckendorf doing?" I clasped my hands together and pretended to swoon, "Did he already ask you out? Was it in the forest? Just the two of you, sun setting, a kiss on the lips."

"Katie."

"Yes Silena?"

She turned to glare at me, "I'm not brushing your hair tomorrow."

That stopped me in my tracks and I let out a gasp of horror, bringing a hand to my chest, "You can't do that to me Silena! You know that I can't make my hair look half as good as you do."

I ran after Silena and hugged her from behind, "It was just a joke. You two are so cute together that I can't help but tease from time to time."

"Alright. Fine." She turned around with a smile and lightly slapped the top of my head, eliciting a yelp from me.

"So, you'll help me tomorrow?"

"Yes. But if I hear another word-" she trailed off, and I got the message.

I stood up straight and gave her my best salute, "Yes ma'am!"

She giggled a but and continued walking back to cabin ten to assemble the others in preparation for lunch while I stood there and took in all of camp. From the beach all the way to the strawberry fields and Half Blood Hill, everything had stayed relatively constant for three years, but the amount of change that would ensue in the next few days would make camp completely different.

Giving one last glance to the Big House where the Oracle would soon awaken, I started following after Silena. It would be good to enjoy the normalcy while it lasted, before I had to put my plans into action.

Gazing at Silena and cabin six, I resolved myself to ensure that at least two people would emerge safe and sound after all the coming strife. No one would stop me. Not the Gods, not the Titans, nor even the Fates themselves. That much, I promised to myself.


	2. Relationships

**AN: The Rick Riordan universe belongs to Rick Riordan. duh**

 **Sorry I haven't updated for such a long time but taking five classes (four technicals) really sucks away all my time. Seriously, college is such an undertaking.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed April Fools and Easter Sunday. It's pretty rare for the both of them to overlap, so hope you didn't waste any opportunities for special pranks.**

 **The diary entries at the beginning of each chapter will offer insight into Kat's past and her innermost thoughts. Remember that since they are written by Kat, they are biased and may not offer the most accurate portrayal of events.**

 **That same warning goes to the rest of the story. Since the truth is how each character interprets the situation, the changes in perspective will give differing and conflicting narratives.**

 **Kat as a person will obviously be filled with inconsistencies, and her actions will sometimes conflict with what she is thinking. That's simple human nature. Basically, Kat is a liar and will lie to everyone, including herself.**

 **Please read and review even if you didn't enjoy.**

* * *

Old Diary Entry 1:

I'd never thought I would use this diary to record anything, but the events the past few days have been so infuriating and confusing that the only way I can express myself is through writing in here.

This had to be one big cosmic joke on me. The Gods of Olympus? Don't make me laugh. I couldn't care less about something as preposterous as that.

Except they do exist, and apparently, one of them is my parent. Whoever it was, I hated her with a passion.

If these Gods believed I would bend to their wills just because I was finally acknowledged after years of neglect, they were deluded, and any demigod that accepted this farce was just as naive. As unpleasant as my life had been, being a demigod meant so much more suffering without any real reward.

It hadn't even been a full day since I arrived at Camp Half-Blood and I already fully understood why Luke had wanted… would have wanted? (tenses for events that happen in the future but had already happened for me are confusing)... to eradicate Olympus.

However, after reading multiple Greek myths and the Percy Jackson series, I knew that openly rebelling or rebuking the Gods would lead to an early death and banishment into the depths of Tartarus. If I was lucky, my arrival into this world would throw everything off enough that the multiple wars that would occur in the Rick Riordan universe would end up destroying every mythological being in the world. Every meaning not just the Olympians but also the Egyptians and Norse and whatever other pantheons exist to this day.

Regardless, I am distancing myself as far away as possible. Elon Musk's plans to colonize Mars (hah Mars) seemed very pleasant right now. I wasn't going to be a martyr for a selfish race of toddlers with too much power; self-sacrificing idiots, aka heroes, existed for that.

* * *

Old Diary Entry 2:

I had just met the smartest and one of the most important of those glorious idiots, Annabeth Chase.

She was still a kid, not even ten, and she was already looking forward to go on a deadly quest to make her oh so great mother, Athena, proud. The greatest thing is she isn't alone. All these kids want to be recognized by the same parent that make their lives so horrible. If this isn't a mass case of Stockholm Syndrome, I don't know what is.

Anyways, back to Annabeth.

The moment she saw me, she took one look at my face and said, "You're not the one." It seemed that was all she wanted of me as she immediately walked away afterwards. I haven't seen her around camp ever since.

I can't stop smiling. I'm glad that she sees it the way that I do. Perseus Jackson would be the one in the Prophecy and the one for her. I'll be the one who survives this whole mess, lives a nice life, and gets the last laugh.

Meaningless relationships with these demigods would get me nowhere in life.

* * *

After joining the Aphrodite children for lunch at the Dining Pavilion and chatting with some other acquaintances from various other cabins, I decided to go look for my self-proclaimed little sister, a title I had gleefully given to her dismay. Since Silena had done so to me, I had decided to spread the misery to my other best friend.

As soon as I spotted her blonde hair, I carefully sneaked up behind her. I would have to be careful with her.

While Silena was quick to forgive my tardiness, I knew this particular half-blood would lecture me for hours if I didn't do something to alleviate the situation first.

With one hand gripping a book about the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi I quickly wrapped my other hand around the daughter of Athena's waist and yelled into her ear, "Nice to see you again Annabeth! How have you been?"

The sudden physical contact and loud noise caught her off guard. She was so surprised by my presence that she would have fallen to the ground had I not been holding onto her.

I idly noticed that she had grown quite a lot from the last time I had seen her. She was 12 years old now, so puberty had to be hitting. However, for all that she had grown, she was still three years younger than me, and I could still prop my chin on the top of her head. It would be a sad day when I no longer held that height advantage.

While I contently nuzzled the top of her head and messed with her curly blonde hair, Annabeth sighed and grumbled out, "Katie. Stop messing with my hair… and if this is a ploy to get me to ignore how you forgot to IM me," her octave dropped by several levels and she shot me a glare, "It won't help."

I chuckled nervously, "Well, I brought you this?" and shoved the architecture book into her face.

Without taking her eyes off me, she wordlessly took the book and slowly moved her gaze to its contents. Slowly but surely, her eyes brightened and her lips curled into a smile. She abruptly clutched the book close to her chest and grinned at me, "Thanks Katie. I love it."

I couldn't help but let out a celebratory "Whoop!" in my head while projecting the largest grin I could muster when I saw how delighted she was by the gift. Finding a book that went into detail and included blueprints of the architecture of Gaudi required some looking, but seeing Annabeth's smile made up for all the trouble. Annabeth being Annabeth rarely found something to be so excited about since she spends the majority of her year at Camp, so knowing I could help even in the smallest ways always made me proud.

"So, does that mean you'll let me off?" Of course, I wasn't above milking this for all it was worth. I did not want to be lectured about proper communication for the hundredth time.

As Annabeth's grin turned malevolent, I started to sweat bullets, "Oh Katie, don't you want to spend some time catching up with your little sister? I for one have a lot to talk to you about."

I gulped and looked around for any assistance. Any camper that was nearby was politely looking away from the both of us. They knew Annabeth and wouldn't risk getting involved. Cowards the whole lot of them.

Annabeth quickly dragged me away from cabins for some privacy, and I resigned myself to my fate.

* * *

After being chewed out by Annabeth, I headed over to the arena where sword practices were usually held. There was one last task I needed to accomplish before the day ended. One last person to talk to.

Heading down the stone steps to the center, I examined the sandy-haired blonde practicing by himself. As always, Luke's form was flawless and his strikes were impeccable. He truly was the best sword fighter that we had in the camp… at the present moment… other than Chiron of course.

I sat down on the sandstone benches at the edge of the arena to observe Luke.

In the afternoon sunlight, with his sparkling blue eyes, barely visible scar, and sweat glistening off his muscular build he looked quite handsome. It was no wonder so many girls in the camp had fallen for him. Such a shame that he would side with Kronos.

After a few minutes, the son of Hermes stopped his practice and looked at me with a charming smile. I smiled back and walked down the stone steps into the arena as he said, "It's been a while Kat. How have you been? I've seen the finale of your show. You were great."

I blushed and looked away from his grinning face, "I'm doing great, and thanks for supporting me. I do hope you enjoyed it."

He laughed a bit and put his arm around my shoulder, "Of course I did. I saw that move you pulled off with that sword too. It was the same one I taught you." He smiled brightly at the end, and I could completely understand why Silena had betrayed the camp for him. Luke truly was charming when he tried, and I was glad that he concentrated on me rather than Silena or any other girl.

Giggling a bit, I responded, "Yeah, I had to convince the director to change the scene a bit, but I would say it was worth it." I stared right into his eyes and directed as much charm into my gaze without it being too obvious, "It's all thanks to you Luke."

For a moment, I saw a flash of triumph in his eyes before it was covered up by a kind gaze, but that single moment told me all I needed to know. I won. Luke held his gaze as he brought out a bracelet, "This is for you Kat."

Holding my hand gently, he expertly wrapped the silver bracelet around my left wrist. The bracelet itself was well made and held some sort of magic. The scythe charm was enough to clue me in on the true nature of the gift and I couldn't help but smile at Luke and thank him, "Thank you Luke. I love it," after all, he just did exactly what I hoped he would.

He seemed satisfied by my response and nodded, "I'm glad you like it."

I smiled beatifically at him. Oh, I absolutely loved it! Everything was falling into place. Chasing after Luke like a lovesick maiden for about a year finally paid off, and with this objective completed, the chances that my plan would succeed exponentially increased.

Suddenly frowning, I looked at Luke and anxiously asked, "Luke, can we keep this a secret? I don't want anyone to know about us yet." This was an honest concern of mine. If people knew that I "got into a relationship" with Luke right before he betrayed the gods and there was a spy in the camp, I would be the first suspect. Neither of us wanted that, so if he had any shred of intelligence in that head of his, he would happily agree.

"Of course." He put his hand on my arm reassuringly and smiled softly, "I understand that you don't want anyone to know because your job. I'll keep this a secret until you're ready."

I was a bit surprised. His expression was so earnest that if I didn't know that he was just manipulating me for his own plans I would have thought that he actually cared about me. For all that he claimed to hate his father Hermes and reject his godly powers, Luke seemed to embrace his inherited nature of a trickster. His facade of the experienced, caring, older brother was expertly crafted and allowed his charisma to attract countless others. However, it wasn't perfect like mine. His intense hatred of the Olympians would always crack his mask and allow part of his darkness to show, which was why I was so shocked when I saw how serene he just looked. Perhaps this was the true Luke Castellan before all those tragedies befell his life.

His eyes and smile radiated a kindness that few had ever seen. Maybe it wasn't too late for Luke. If he could still smile like that, then there had to be some good in him. Right?

Snapping out of my thoughts, I shyly thanked Luke and suggested that we return to camp before others became suspicious of our absence.

We went our separate ways and before long, the sun was setting and the campers gathered in their cabins to get ready for dinner at the Pavillion.

Lining up behind Silena, who had the honor of organizing the cabin full of self-interested individuals, I stood in my usual spot, second in line. While there were others who had more seniority, only Silena was ahead of me in terms of social standing in the cabin, so I was situated second in line.

Just like the Hermes cabin was organized by seniority, the Aphrodite cabin was all about status. The Ares cabin focused on combat proficiency, Apollo on archery, and so on.

Walking alongside Silena and chatting with my cabin mates, I reviewed the events of the day in my head. Everything was progressing nicely so far. Apparently, I couldn't keep the joy of furthering my plans out of my face since Silena quickly took note and asked what had gotten me into such a good mood.

I replied with a sing-songy, "It's a secret!" and walked off with a skip in my step.

Wasn't that true? Everything in my life is a secret, a mystery I didn't want others knowing. And if everything goes according to plan, well, none of it would get out.

Then again, I knew not everything would progress as I'd like it. People tend to be unpredictable, unreasonable even. Plans tend to fail. There's only so much you can do as a human, a demigod, a god, a titan, or even a primordial. That's the way life has been, is, and will be.

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but I thought the ending was more natural.**

 **Just wanted to ask for your opinion my dear readers. Do you find Kat a Mary Sue? If so, or if not, why?**

 **Also, what do you think of flashbacks? Are there more creative ways of showing a character's past? I find that flashbacks in the middle of a chapter seem to interrupt the flow of a story, but chapters/long exposition about a character's past can detract from the main story.**


End file.
